Following an investigation by Te Tari Taiwhenua, Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), 58 charges have been filed against a Christchurch man relating to the alleged theft of over $200,000 in grant funding.

The 58 charges filed against the defendant all relate to dishonesty offending under the Crimes Act 1961 and include charges of forgery, theft of grant funds and dishonestly using a document.

“We aim to ensure communities receive the maximum benefit from grants by detecting and deterring fraudulent activity in gambling-related grant funding” says Dave Robson, Gambling Director, DIA.

The defendant, who was involved both in the Class 4 gambling sector and the community sports sector, obtained $202,341.60 worth of grants on behalf of sporting organisations by allegedly submitting false quotes and failing to spend grant money on authorised purposes. These incidents took place between 2018 and 2020.

The man has been remanded on bail and due appear in court again on 12 July 2023.

“While we cannot talk about the details of ongoing cases, DIA as the gambling regulator will not accept community money being misused or obtained for dishonest purposes.”

For more information on New Zealand gambling regulation visit dia.govt.nz/Gambling.

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